Blinn Paramedic Program recognizes 12 graduates with pinning ceremony

Real-world scenarios prepare students to serve the community and save lives

December 8, 2023

The Blinn College District Paramedic Program recently welcomed 12 new graduates to the profession during a pinning ceremony held at the Blinn RELLIS Administration Building at Texas A&M-RELLIS.

Each graduate earned their paramedic technology certificate or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Associate in Applied Science degree, which qualifies them for entry-level paramedic positions and can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree.

Blinn’s Paramedic Program includes basic and clinical emergency medical technician, emergency pharmacology, clinical emergency medical services, trauma management, cardiology, medical emergencies, and EMS operations. Program graduates are prepared for certification or licensure by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) and the Texas Department of State Health Services.

“These graduates are invaluable first responders equipped with the skills and training to save lives,” Program Director Zack Varner said. “The state-of-the-art simulation labs at Texas A&M-RELLIS prepare them for a wide-variety of emergency situations and students complete this program with the tools to safeguard their patients.”

Blinn’s Paramedic Program is based at the RELLIS Academic Alliance Complex at Texas A&M-RELLIS in Bryan, where students gain hands-on skills utilizing the facility’s 16,000-square-foot simulation laboratories.

The fall 2023 graduating class includes: Jacob A. Ammermann (Southlake), Robert W. Burroughs (College Station), Tyler C. Dornak, Micah A. Garcia (Anderson), Hudson I. Humphreys (Sudan), Logan M. Lauer, Blake D. Mconie (College Station), Sally M. Osth (North Zulch), Alicyn K Steffey (Livingston), Carlos A. Tiemann-Daniel (Austin), Christopher Tramell (Waxahachie), and Karley A. Wyngaard (Giddings).

Students who complete the program have numerous employment opportunities and options to continue their education.

“This program prepares you in more ways than one. If you want to be a good medic, you come to Blinn,” Osth said. “The instructors are great and draw from personal experience to help us learn. I’m moving to North Carolina in a few weeks, but with this training I can work anywhere. My fiancé is in the military so it gives me peace of mind that I can work no matter where we move.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, paramedics earn a median salary of $49,090. Texas has the highest employment level for paramedics in the United States. Graduates who pass their certification and licensure exams are eligible to work in the ambulance service industry, local governments, outpatient care centers, and hospitals.

Blinn’s Paramedic Program is part of the Emergency Medical Services Program, which offers emergency medical technician and paramedic training. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/emergency-medical-services.